Not quite as wet as in Eglwyswrw - Helen's journal and online home

Log in

No account? Create an account

Remember me

Forgot password

Facebook Twitter Google




			Not quite as wet as in Eglwyswrw - Helen's journal and online home In which an old dog attempts to learn new tricks.




			06:35 pm January 10th, 2016

heleninwales


	Not quite as wet as in Eglwyswrw
	I managed to walk to the Co-op today during a brief, mostly dry window of opportunity, but now it's turned colder, it's not just rain that's falling. Outside my window hail patters on the cold ground. When will it be spring? At least it's not quite as wet here as it is in Eglwyswrw, though I don't think we're far behind. In case anyone thinks I've been overdoing the moaning about the rain, see what we've had to put up with? This Welsh village has endured 75 days of rain in a row making it possibly the longest spell in Britain for 92 years "The 700 villagers at Eglwyswrw in Pembrokeshire have experienced rain every day since the deluge began on October 26 last year -- and it shows no signs of stopping." John, 52, said: “We’ve had rain of biblical proportions. It’s poured down for almost 80 days and nights so by that reckoning we would need two arks." It is supposed to be wet in Wales and we're pretty used to it, but this is getting beyond a joke! Current Mood: aggravated

7 comments or Leave a comment


	Comments




			Thread started by hrj

From: ex_hrj	Date: January 10th, 2016 07:00 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I keep wondering when we're going to get serious about moving rainfall from places of surplus to places of scarcity. Not the storms, mind you, but ways of addressing flood control planning that strategize where to put the water. If we can contemplate massive oil pipelines, why not massive water pipelines?

(Reply) (Thread)

	From: del_c	Date: January 10th, 2016 07:16 pm (UTC)		(Link)

[claimer: this is in part my day job]

The increased flooding is largely a *consequence* of rushing water around artificially. The industry is (rightly IMO) trying to find ways to keep water where it fell, to either percolate down or evaporate up, instead of zipping sideways.

One of the problems is that if you tell people you're arranging to keep water in the neighbourhood, they ask why, and you have to admit it's to help other people miles away. Uproar ensues.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

From: ex_hrj	Date: January 11th, 2016 01:48 am (UTC)		(Link)

Given the journal context, I should probably have given some indication that I was thinking more of my own local situation than the one Helen was describing. (She knows I live in California, but there's no reason all her other LJ friends would know that!)

So I was thinking in terms of "I wonder what it would take to divert Mississippi Valley surplus to the California Central Valley?" As you note, we aren't talking trivial costs. On the other hand, there are costs from the status quo as well.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

	From: del_c	Date: January 10th, 2016 07:24 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Plus there's the cost. What is the Thames Tideway Tunnel but an "oil pipeline" for water, just as you describe? But the customers are very unhappy about what the construction cost does to their bills.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

	From: heleninwales	Date: January 13th, 2016 02:39 pm (UTC)		(Link)

We already do that so some extent in the UK. Birmingham and Liverpool get their water from reservoirs in Wales. Also, there is a flood control system on the River Dee that holds flood water back in Bala Lake and then releases it more slowly to help prevent flooding on the lower land nearer where it reaches the sea.

However, we don't really have problems with drought anywhere in the UK so it's more a case of moving water from areas of low population to areas of high population. Regarding your situation, I don't know enough about US geography and topology to know where you could pipe water from. But it's certainly technically possible. The problem is no doubt one of funding the project as water probably isn't as valuable as oil. Though I suppose it could be in the future?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

From: ex_hrj	Date: January 13th, 2016 05:27 pm (UTC)		(Link)

The main problem is that any useful project would need to tap into the Mississippi drainage basin, since the Colorado is already siphoned off enough that the river only intermittently makes it to the sea. And a project to transport excess Mississippi-drainage floodwater all the way past the Rockies and the Sierras to the west would be daunting.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)




			Comment by Feodora

	From: feodora	Date: January 11th, 2016 07:29 am (UTC)		(Link)

Here the temperatures have risen again and all the snow has melted away. I am happy that I put my bike to inspection last week, when I could not use it anyway!
I still have 3 days off but K. Went to work today.

(Reply) (Thread)


	7 comments or Leave a comment